Greetings Science Educators!
I hope the week finds you well. I know several of you are in mid-testing season and I wanted to wish you and your students the best at this time. Speaking of assessments, the Office of Assessment is seeking recommendations for educators to participate in assessment committees for the upcoming year. If you are interested in assisting with and knowing more about the process, please see the announcement below regarding assessment.
I also wanted to provide and update on the two projects we are working on with OKSci teachers to develop resources for teachers and districts related to the new Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science.
- The Oklahoma Science Framework Project is in full swing. We will be sharing a few early drafts related to this project in the next two weeks.
- The Oklahoma Open Education Resource Project kicked off last Saturday. We hope to be able to share some early drafts related to this project at the end of the summer.
Lastly, I wanted to relay that several OKSci teachers are interested in doing a virtual book study this summer. The book we will be doing the study over is Teaching for Conceptual Understanding in Science. The discussion for the book study will be facilitated through a discussion board, so you can participate whenever you like or are able. See a sample chapter from the book at http://static.nsta.org/files/PB359Xweb.pdf
Assessment Update:
The Office of Assessments at the State Department of Education is seeking recommendations for highly qualified educators to participate in the upcoming Grades 3-8 and End–of-Instruction (EOI) Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) Standard Settings, Blueprint Writing, Content/Bias Reviews, and Performance Level Descriptors Writing Committees.
For more information: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OKSDE/bulletins/ff2ef1
Textbook Adoption:
We’ve received several calls lately regarding textbook adoption, so I wanted to address a few of the questions in the science message.
Q1: Can you recommend a textbook?
A1: As a reminder, SDE employees are unable to give recommendations on any of the textbooks on the adoption list. However, science teachers are discussing the pros and cons related to textbooks on the OKSci Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/118400268320217/
Q2: How do I know what textbooks are on the adoption list and how do I contact publishers to order or get samples?
A2: Here are a few quick links:
- Check out the list of Approved Titles from the Oklahoma State Textbook Committee
- Order Publisher Samples
- Review Samples in-person at a Review Center in Oklahoma
- Contact Publishers through the Publisher Directory
- http://www.okedpublishers.com/Directory
Educator Opportunities:
EdCampScience
You are invited to EdCampScience! It is an opportunity to connect with other science educators to collaborate, explore, learn, seek, encourage, and create deep, meaningful, standards-based instruction, lessons, units, resources, and so on. This is EdCamp, an UNconference where there are no rules. This is your chance to choose the sessions you want to attend, create your own sessions, or collaborate with friends to start or join conversations that are important to you.
To register and for details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edcampscience-tickets-16448283258
Oklahoma Green Schools Summit
The purpose of this event is to educate students, teachers and administrators on topics related to the five GreenSchools! Investigations (Energy, Environmental Quality, School Site, Waste & Recycling, and Water) and showcase how to use Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and service-learning to make an impact at your school. There will be student presentations, networking opportunities and awards for those making their school greener and healthier places to learn.
Date: Wednesday May 13, 2015
From: 9:00-4:00
Location: Sand Springs
See Flyer for more details
Summer Research Experience for Teachers
This is a 5-week summer research experience, which provides science teachers with both experience conducting research and professional development in how to mentor students in science research and science fair competitions. This five-week internship runs from June 4th through July 10th with four follow-up days during the following school year.
Apply at: https://okstatecoe.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e8WBTLJeIm2lVUF
Applications Due: April 27th
OKAGE Summer Institutes
The Oklahoma Alliance of Geographic
- Water More Precious Than Gold – June 7th-11th
- OKAGE GeoBootCamp – June 11th-13th
- Space in each institute is limited and registrations will be accepted on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
- Each participant may receive a small stipend upon successful completion of each institute.
- Each institute will be conducted pending sufficient registrations and availability of funding.
- Teachers who are accepted will receive a confirmation email with more details.
- Teachers who are not accepted will be notified promptly.
- See attached flyers for session descriptions and registration
Student Opportunities:
OSSM Summer Academy 2015
Spend a portion of your summer with us! Eagerly experiment, explore and create at the nationally renowned Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics during a jamb-packed, one-week summer academy. Located on the 32-acre campus in Oklahoma City and right across the street from the world-class Oklahoma Health Center, be among the first students to attend the OSSM Summer Academy. Fill your summer days learning from the best – a faculty experienced at teaching college-level curriculum. The residential academy is geared toward students who are entering 9th, 10th or 11th grades. Small class sizes will ensure plenty of one-on-one time with teachers who are experts in their fields. The program is open to students from anywhere , so this will be an opportunity to make connections with like-minded individuals from many places. OSSM is well- known for academic excellence in the fields of science and math; however, the summer academy will provide an even more diverse curriculum in addition to a variety of enrichment and recreational activities.
See link for details and registration: http://www.ossm.edu/outreach/ossm-summer-academy-2015/
NSTA New Releases: Sample Chapters
- The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Creating Teachable Moment
- Sample Chapter– http://static.nsta.org/files/PB356Xweb.pdf
- Teaching for Conceptual Understanding in Science
- Sample Chapter – http://static.nsta.org/files/PB359Xweb.pdf
- Reimagining the Science Department
- Sample Chapter – http://static.nsta.org/files/PB357Xweb.pdf
Stay Connected:
Social Media:
Twitter: @tiffanyneill
Facebook: #OKSci
Hashtags: #oksde #OKSci #OKSTEM
Sign Up for a Twitter account: https://twitter.com/
Accessing Archived Science Messages:
You can access Archived Science Messages I’ve sent out since March via the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association (OSTA) website. Scroll down to see previous posts.
Science Listserv:
Please encourage others to register for the science listserv and pass along the following registration link:
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!
– Tiffany